Johnson



(No Model.)

W. J. VBRNER. ANNEALING FURNACE.

No. 542,698. Patented July 16,1895.

' Inventor: Wim Jfznzeai vae Witnesses:

- I i UNITno STATES PATENT @FFICE.

WILLIAM JAMES VERNER, OF NEWV CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN OR OFFIVE-EIGHTHS TO FRANK FELTON, CHARLES S. W'ALLACE, WILLIAM L- JOHNSON,AND CHARLES H. JOHNSON, OF SAME PLACE.

ANNEALlNG-FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 542,698, dated July 16,1 895. Application filed March 13, 1894;. Serial No. 503,485- (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it maycon'ce'rn: I

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM JAMES VER- NER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of New Castle,.in the county of Lawrence 5 andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Annealing-Furnaces; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers IO skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in I5 furnaces for annealing steeland iron plates or sheets, wire, and metal of any shape.

As is well known to those skilled in the art,-

iron or steel after it has been rolled or fashioned into sheets, plates,or other forms is hard and-brittle, rendering it necessary to subject itto an annealing process in order to soften it and make it pliable. Thisis usually accomplished byplacing the same in an airtight cast-iron boxwhich is pushed into a furnace and subjected to a high degree of heat.After undergoing the heating process, which usually occupies about threedays, the fires are drawn and allowed to cool gradually before removingthe sheets or plates.

The above method is objectionable in many respects, which objections myinvention is intended to obviate, and it consists in the novelconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter-fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional View ofan annealingfurnace constructed in accordance with my invention, the boxfor containing the articles to be annealed being removed. Fig. 2 is alon- 4o gitudinal sectional view, the said box being in place. Fig. 3 isa transverse section on the line 56 a, Fig. 1.

In the said drawings, the reference-n umeral 1 designates the side wallof the furnace,

built of fire-brick; 2, the rear end wall, having stack 3 provided withan opening 4,1eading to the interior of the furnace.

The numeral 5 designates the front wall having stoke-hole 6, and 7 aninner wall forming a fire-box 8, provided with a grate 9.

This inner wall is provided with top and bottom fines 7 and 7 leadingfrom the fire-box to the combustion-chamber.

The numeral 10 designates the bottom of the furnace, upon which is builta combustion-chamber consisting of the side walls 12 and front wall 13,of suitable refractory material, perforated with numerous holes 14.There are spaces 15 between the side walls 12 and walls 1 of thefurnace, and a similar space between the wall 13 and wall 7. Locatedwithin this combustion-chamber and resting upon the bottom 10 of themain or outside furnace is a rectangular box 16 for containing thearticles to be annealed. This box is made of wrought or cast ironprovided outside with a casing offire-brick or other refractorymaterial, and when in placeaspace will be formed between it and thecombustion-chamber and between its rear wall and the rear wall 2 of theouter furnace. This box is provided with a cover 17, having adownwardly-depending rectangularfiange 18, which fits within the box andmakes a tight joint. The numeral 19 designates the bridge-wall, formedwith a number of fines 20, which extend through the bottom 10 of thefurnace and communicate with the space between the rear end of box 16and the rear of wall 2. So

The operation is as follows: The articles to be annealed are placed inbox 16 and the cover placed thereon. Fireis then made in the fire-box,and the products of combustion will pass through the flues in the wall 7into the combustion-chamber, and will pass around the annealing-box,thoroughly heating the same. At the same time a portion of the productsof combustion will pass through the lines 20 in the bottom 10, heatingthe bottom of the annealing-box. The products of coin bustion will thenescape through the open rear ends of flues 20 into the space between therear wall 2 and the rear end of the annealing-box, and will finallyescape through 5 the Smokestack. As will be-seenin Fig. 2, the front endof the fines 2O communicate with the ash-pit, so that air therefrom willenter the combustion-chamber, so as to insure the proper consumption ofthe products of I00 removedto'make'room for anewcharge. By

:this method it isnot necessary to:draw the fire or to remove thean-nealing-box'to'cool the articles contained therein. .In the ordinaryannealing-furnaces in which the boxes are alternately heated andcooledfthe latter soon become warped so that they have to be replaced bynew ones.

As the annealing-box in my furnace re mains permanently in-the furnacethe above objections are obviated.

.,Having thus described my inventionnvhat With-a grate, ofthe combustionchamber consisting of the side and front walls provided withperforations, the fines in the bottom of the combustionchambercommunicating with the fire box below the grate, the bridge Wallprovided with fines, and the annealing box located "in the combustionchamber and provided with a cover having the downwardly extendingrectangular fiange,'the construction being such that a space is formedbetween the combustion chamber and the walls of thefurnace,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaffixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

" 'WILLIAM JAMES VERNER.

Witnesses:

W. E. JACKSON, J. E. VAN GoRDER.

